PHOTO: Trumps’ popularity on the economy sinks
President Donald Trump has been graded “F” on his handling of the economy, according to a new poll.
According to a survey by Emerson College, 36 percent of people gave the president an “F” grade on the economy. This 36 represented the largest proportion of respondents and far outstripped those who gave Trump an “A” grade on this policy area.
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
The economy, the cost of living and other related themes are important to American voters, with a Gallup poll showing that they overwhelmingly cited economic pressures as the main reason they voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election. On the campaign trail, the president pledged to bring down inflation, but recent polling has indicated voters are unsatisfied with the economy.
If this dissatisfaction continues, it could impact the GOP’s ability to maintain its slim majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate during the November 2026 midterm elections.
The pollsters found that 36 percent scored Trump an “F” on the economy and a further 11 percent gave him a “D”. Thirteen percent graded the president a “C” score, while 19 percent gave him a “B” and 22 percent gave him an “A”—the most positive option.
The survey of 1,000 voters was conducted between December 14-15, 2025. It had a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
It also found that most people (38 percent) said the economy was the top issue facing the country. Next, 14 percent of respondents all cited threats to democracy, healthcare, and immigration. And it found that 38 percent gave him an “F” on affordability – a similar issue to the economy. Just 17 percent gave him an “A”.
It also measured discontent in other policy areas. Thirty-eight percent gave Trump an “F” on healthcare, while 14 percent gave him an “A”. But he fared better with immigration; 37 percent gave him an “A” in this policy area, 1 percentage point more than the 36 percent who gave him an “F”.
Overall, Emerson found that 41 percent of people approve of Trump’s job performance while 50 percent disapprove of it. This means he will end 2025 with a net approval rating of -9 percentage points.
The polling comes amid other negative polling regarding the president’s handling of the economy. An Associated Press-NORC poll conducted December 4—8, 2025, found that only 31 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, down from 40 percent in March.
Meanwhile, a Fox News poll found in November that 76 percent of voters view the economy negatively. This makes Trump less popular on the economy than former President Joe Biden. At the end of his presidency in 2024, Fox News polling showed that 70 percent of people viewed the economy negatively.
Calvin Jillson, a politics professor at Southern Methodist University in Texas, told Newsweek that Trump’s declining approval rating on the economy could have negative consequences for the GOP come the midterms:
“Both presidents [George] Bush and [Barack] Obama suffered from similarly low approval ratings midway through their second terms and both of their parties took heavy losses in the midterms. White House political staffers and congressional Republicans, particularly those in the House, fear that the 2026 midterms are shaping up badly for them; that’s why Trump is hitting the campaign trail again and giving primetime political speeches.
“Remarkably, President Trump is right where President Biden was just a year ago; voters feel jobs are scarce, pay is low, and process are high so they feel surly. If that is still the case in November 2026, Republicans will take a beating.”
Thomas Whalen, an associate professor who teaches U.S. politics at Boston University, previously told Newsweek that “improving the economy” would help boost Trump’s approval rating.
“[Trump’s] reckless tariff program in combination with his unwise cuts in social welfare programs, among others, has left many Americans scrambling to make ends meet,” he said.
What People Are Saying
White House spokesman Kush Desai previously told Newsweek: “President Trump inherited the worst inflation crisis in a generation from Joe Biden’s incompetence, and his Administration has rapidly cooled inflation to a 2.5 percent annualized rate.”
“As the Administration’s supply-side policies of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance continue taking effect, Americans can count on inflation continuing to fall and real wages continuing to rise,” Desai added.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement after Trump’s presidential address on Wednesday: “Donald Trump has lost the economy, is losing his mind, and is going to lose the midterms. Tonight, Americans watched him and asked themselves: This is the guy in charge?”
What Happens Next
As Trump’s presidency continues, his approval rating on various themes, including the economy, will likely fluctuate.
During his Wednesday presidential address, Trump said that there will be a new Federal Reserve chair announced early in the new year to succeed Jerome Powell. This may impact the direction of the U.S. economy.
NEWSWEEK